Author: Arayna, Posted: Sun Dec 2, 2018 7:22 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Having wiped off her bag and settled her belongings Arayna sat eating. It really did not look like her companion had eaten. The fey found herself beginning to doubt if he had been the one to ask for food. Or had asking for food been some sort of test or code. Had she passed, was that something she could ask? Arayna’s worries briefly dissipated as her companion rejoined her, and produced a warm flame. That was nice, why had she not thought to try that. He really was good at magic. Yes, the flame was helping her regain her warmth; maybe, even a bit too much.

Worry consumed Arayna when she turned to thank him, he was smiling but his wings were twitching, but the movement was rougher, less graceful than it had been before. “Are you Arayna began to ask but something changed. Her companion nearly fell, though steadied himself and looked angry. Had the events of the day been from a curse, had that curse attached itself to Hed!? Arayna had no idea of how to get rid of a curse; if she ran away would the curse follow and leave Hed alone.

While she had been distracted by her inner musings, a portal seemed to have appeared. Arayna’s eyes grew wide. Was it Leandra? The woman had come to find her before, but it had not even been a day, had it. How long had she been staring at her reflection, or had she forgotten things that had happened? Distracted again, she startled with Hed’s exclamation. He wanted to go; go where? Before she could work this out, she was again hit with fire. It was not meant to provide a comforting worth, but to effectively dried Arayna. Well, she could fly now, where they supposed to run from the portal?

Stupified, the fey blinked. Too much was happening at once for the fairy to comprehend. Her companion seemed happy enough now, maybe they were not in danger. She could not help but smile as he spun and then flew a few loops before disappearing in. Fairies really could be unpredictable and frivolous creatures. Arayna frowned, did she fit that, would she fit in with other fairies. The fey quickly gathered her supplies, and upon realizing it his things in the basket. Belongings gathered she stared at the portal. Well, the worst that could happen is she ends up in a jar again, but at least this time she wouldn’t be alone. With less enthusiasm the female fey followed her former companion, wondering where she would end up, and praying it would not be alone.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Sun Dec 2, 2018 5:09 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Hefeydd let out a long, drawn out sigh that chilled the very air around him. He was struck with the thought that he was glad this little aura of cold wouldn't reach the silly wet fairy, as he didn't want her to catch a cold when he froze in place, eyes going wide and body stiff as this foreign thought invaded his mind. He glared at the other fairy suspiciously, his eyes narrowing once more as he looked her up and down. There was no way she would be able to place such a thought inside his head, not this bedraggled starving specimen he found rolling around in mud. Oh no, there was no way one such as she, even as devious as she was, could slip past his mountainous mental defenses and plant a treacherous thought like that within his mind. He eyes narrowed even further until they were nothing but slits and he glanced around suspiciously. He couldn't sense anything magical nearby and anything powerful enough to do such a thing would surely be obvious. He bit his lower lip, worrying at it in frustration. It was fine, he was fine, there was nothing around here. He should go, help his new friend dry off and get warm. Surely she was cold, after he had taken the warmth from her bath…

He was getting to his feet, ready to do just that, when he came to his senses. He scowled at the floor, hands bunching into fists at his side. The other fairy. It could only be her, planting these things in his head to weaken and distract him. He would find out how, and then he would destroy her. It took him a moment of staring at the floor, face hidden from her sight, to compose himself. When he looked up he was smiling again, teeth showing. He put his hands behind his back, clasping them together so as not to betray any emotion through hand gestures. It was important to remain conscious of such things. He feet were firmly on the ground, he hadn't recalled landing, or standing for that matter, but the solid ground beneath his feet was reassuring. The other fairy has sighed, again and again, as if she was impatiently waiting for him after all that time he had spent waiting for her! How rude! He wouldn't let his annoyance show, though, not until he was certain who this other fairy was. He was beginning to grow suspicions, and was tending to them, as if they were little flowers that needed nurturing so they could bloom. Those wings, he was sure he had seen similar patterns on others, though he couldn't quite place them right now. They were too distracting, obviously that was their intent. He hissed between his teeth, too low for the other to hear but it was good to release some of the pent up frustration. 

The other fairy had returned to their make shift dining area, hopefully to sample more of the food which had cost him so much magic to summon up. He was beginning to regret, deeply, not poisoning the summoned food. That thought was uncharitable, here she was, spending time with him and eating with him and he was plotting to do away with her. What a terrible fairy Hefeydd was. Hefeydd sighed and nodded to himself. This was true, he was being unnecessarily mean. Perhaps he should apologize to the other fairy, make it better. He could create for her a cloak made of snowflakes, a thing of beauty he had had the pleasure of seeing once before. Upon her, with that dress, it would look… He froze in place again, eyes bulging. This was not right. He spun in a full circle, taking in his surroundings but it was just the two of them. He couldn't sense any powerful magical presences though, and someone who could do this… Well, there were few that could actually do such a thing and not be seen. His queen was one of them, of course, though he knew the feel of her touching his mind. While he owed loyalty to her and named her his queen, his loyalties only ran so deep. He tapped his foot, his wings twitching with agitation as he thought about this some more. Who would dare to intrude upon his mind? For he was certain, without a doubt, that these thoughts were not his own. The only other person nearby was the fairy Raya, and he just couldn't believe she was powerful enough to not only do such a thing, but also hide it from him. 

While he was thinking about things, he should make a fire. A nice, warm fire to help his companion dry out. That's what was needed. He didn't even need to consider it a debt she would owe him for, as he would be getting something out of it too. The sooner she could travel, the better for him. Hefeydd nodded to himself again, eyes a little glazed as he continued on his way. His wings were twitching violently, shivers running from tops to bottom as he walked into their little area and summoned a ball of flame with one hand, setting it to float close enough to the other fairy to bathe her with warmth. He smiled at her, head tilting to the side, when suddenly his wings gave a mighty flap that sent him stumbling. He staggered backwards, almost falling over, the snarl returning to his lips and ice magic coalescing around both hands. He was back in control of his senses and violent rage was rippling through him. Things were getting… Dangerous. Whoever was entering his mind was beginning to control him, something only the…

A dry chuckling echoed through his mind and a gate way tore open in the air, hanging above the river. It was far to big for just two fairies, from top to bottom the oval must have been eight feet in height, by mortal measurements. Green energy rippled through and around it, markedly different from the icy blue of the portals that Hefeydd himself could create. A rich voice began speaking within his mind, all attempts to mimic his own thoughts and control him dropped as Hefeydd realized, with a touch of nervousness, who it had been.

Hefeydd my friend, my dear First Night. Won't you join me on the other side? I do so miss your company… Bring your friend too, won't you? 

Hefeydd froze again, his tiny heart racing as mixed emotions warred within him. Excitement won out in the end, though. It had been so long, and to be called directly was a great honor. He smiled as he turned to his companion. "Raya, let's go! There's no time to lose!" He focused his magic, his supplies that had been dwindling again were bolstered suddenly with the opening of the portal, and focused enough heat around the other fairy to dry her off. Fire magic wasn't something that he preferred, quite the opposite really, but it made for a lot of fun with the mortals and so he knew his way around it well enough. Spinning in place, he rose from the ground and did a few quick loops before he shot off through the portal, and into another place.

Author: Arayna, Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2018 2:14 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna watched Hed float away. It was interesting to see magic used in such a way. It was indulgent, even frivolous, compared to the way the fey had witnessed human’s use magic. Maybe her care-free way of using her craft was an inherited trait. The fairy briefly wondered if the behavior is why big folk thought the little folk where joyful, and maybe even simple/silly. Was being called silly fairy actual an insulting thing among fairies. For some reason, Arayna still thought yes.

Once her male companion was out of sight, Arayna stripped down obligated to honor of promise to take a quick bath. Sitting on the edge of bowel the fey lowered her feet, and promptly had caught herself from falling off the bowel. It was so cold! What had happened? Pouting the fairy decided that her summoning the bowel must have messed with the enhancement. Arayna had little love for the cold, preferring the warmth and the sun. Briefly, she wondered if she could get away with not bathing, but she had made an agreement.

Steeling herself the fey dropped herself into the bowel submerging herself under the water, hoping the shock would allow her to adapt quicker. Had she read that somewhere, or experienced it before? Not at all surprised when her unclear memories offered nothing. The fey quickly bathed herself, taking solace in the fact that she would live up to “hurrying.” She felt as if she could not get out of the bathe quick enough.

Finishing her task, the fairy got out grabbing her rags and clothing quickly trying to dry off and dress, regretting her decision to summon the tree and block the sun. Quickly gathering her things, she heard her companion’s annoyed question. Had they not been eating before, where they in a hurry now. How long was an “age.” It was a new concept to the fairy, having to rush. Normally days had just dragged by, shaking her head she tried to shake away the memories her fragile mind seemed to be trying to offer. Why couldn’t it remember useful things?

Gathering her belongings, she wet a piece of cloth and used her blanket to separate her still muddied equipment from her nice dress. Quickly she rushed to where she thought the question had come from, finding her companion not too far away. Had he waited there for her? Arayna had not meant to get her wings wet but the water had been so cold, it seemed unbearable to bathe any other way. “Yes, I am done, though my wings need to dry before I can fly, the fairies voice betrayed her misery at having had to take a cold bath.

A sigh escaped the female fey, there was no dignity for her today. The dress was still loose in places that likely meant fairy females had similar traits to their womanly counterparts and Arayna had hastily pulled her wet hair up away from her dress, some strands lose from its grasp. ‘It probably still looks better than the stripes, her mind offered, seemingly decided to try to comfort her rather than their usual questionings. This only made the fey sigh deeper, it really had been a rough day. She headed to their impromptu picnic area, trying to tell herself it was because she was still hungry and did not have anything to do with where the dress was loose and her previous thoughts about her reflection.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 4:40 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

At the sound of the other fairy laughing at him, Hefeydd's tiny heart froze in his chest, the feeling of tendrils of ice spreading through his chest took his breath away. Who was she to be laughing at him in his moment of pain? This was obviously what she had wanted all along! He glared at her from the corner of his eye, not moving a muscle and giving away his frustration. 

She tried to apologize to him, to cover up what she had just done but he wasn't falling for it, oh no, not him. He continued to float away, but in a fit of spite he stole the warmth from the water inside the bowl as he left. Until he was safely out of sight of the troublesome fairy he continued floating along the ground on his back. He had no fear of running into anything, the thought actually never crossed his mind. When he finally felt that he was far enough away he took a deep breath and swung himself up into a sitting position, only to see that he had traveled but a few of what the big mortals called feet away from the other fairy's bathing area.

He huffed out a heavy sigh and shouted back at her. "Are you done yet?!"

[upgraded the colour of speech to a more suitable choice]

Author: Arayna, Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 8:23 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna watched as her companion first stood then fell back as if injured while repeating the word shoo. The fairy’s face reddened, she’d shooed him! It was an absent-minded thing, it is how she spoke to the different animals she encountered. The fairy was also confused when she did not hear a splash, looking over the bowl watching the man hover across the bowel, over the lip and fall to the ground.

Rushing around the bowl she found her companion, floating above the ground. Talking to someone about being shooed. Confused Arayna looked around thinking to see some animal or gods another fairy, only to find no one. He was talking to himself. This pulled a giggle from Arayna’s lips, it was fascinating to see him being somewhat compromised. Feeling the need to cover this she smiled “If I knew how to do that I would not need a bath she stated brightly.

Sorry about the shoo, I was distracted by being spotted. I am not used to talking to other fey, or people. It is usually just animals she stated smile turning to a frown as she began twirling a strand of her absently. I would like to apologize for the indignation I have caused you First Knight Hed, and would really appreciate you granting me some additional time and privacy to despot myself. I will try to hurry she said trying to apologize formally.

Internally she sighed, she felt so out of her depth. Was she really ready to meet other fairies, she was floundering so much with just Hed. Her eyes clouded as she found herself thinking about the possibility of being turned away for being disruptive and simple. Remembering she had promised to try to hurry she tried to shake herself from her thoughts, and focus herself on the task. She needed to bathe.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 10:38 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Hefeydd remained rooted in spot, unblinking as the other fairy began fidgeting with her hair and apologizing. Something about the way she was doing it seemed calculated, as if she was trying to distract him from the fact he had caught her doing something suspicious. Had she really been scrying in the bowl he was perched on? He was beginning to think she had, but he dared not tear his eyes away from her to scan the area for any possible ambush. What if that was exactly what she was waiting for? If he looked away now then she might strike! Oh, she wasn't going to get him that easily. Unless… What if this was her plan? Keep him distracted so that he can't see anyone sneaking up on him from behind? In which case, he was falling for her plan! Oh, she was a sneaky one, that was true!

Her next words did nothing to ease his suspicions. It took her a bit to get set up? How long did it take to prepare for a bath?! Not long at all, that was for sure. How long did it take to set up a scrying bowl, though? Well, he didn't know the answer to that one but he assumed it would take some time. Exactly like she said…  She let her hair down and Hefeydd couldn't but shake his head at the state of it, distracted from his previous thoughts by the amount of mud that was stuck in her hair. He reached out a hand, planning on using magic to bring the water up to give her a hand with cleaning her hair when she shooed him.

She shooed him! Hefeydd, First Night of the Fairies being shooed by some sneaky little mud monster! He gasped, shooting upwards and back away from her so he was standing tall, looking down at her. He clutched at his chest, hands over is heart as his jaw hung open. Here he was, trying to help this strange little fairy, and she was shooing him away! "Shoo?" he fell backwards with the word, as if to fall into the bowl full of water. A little magic kept him from hitting the surface, keeping him hovering in place just above the water. He floated, slowly, across and over the lip of the bowl on the other side from the silly fairy. "Dismissing me… When all I wanted was to… I was…" he paused, hovering in place as he considered this. "She shooed me away!"

Author: Arayna, Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2018 6:08 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna’s eyes widened and she let out a startled gasp as Hed seemingly appeared in front of her. Had she not gotten back hold of her magic and somehow summoned him? Was that why he was mad at her. Why was he close again? Or was the question why that makes it so hard for her to think.

“I… uh… sorry” the fey managed to stammer out after her lecture. It was a good thing Hed was not hostile, she would have been dead several times over. A part of her wondered if she would have somehow done herself in if she had not run into him. Did that make the day she was having lucky or unlucky?
Finding herself anxious she habitually reached for her braids, remembered where they were and moved her hand as if she had meant to unfasten her hair. Using the activity to look down she turned her gaze away from him. Arayna could feel her heart pounding as she tried to work out the new situation. What was an age? Arayna was not familiar with that unit of time. She knew it might have been a while but that was only because she wasn’t sure how long she had given in to self-pity or gotten lost in her own thoughts about her reflection.

Part of her bristled at the insulation that she would need help bathing. However, Arayna could not find herself to be angry with the assumption. Sighing she decided she could not blame him for the thought; if she looked at herself in the context of what he had witnessed. Even knowing what she had been up to before this strange day made the idea that she could take care of herself dubious. It would be nice to learn something positive about herself, she decided not sure how many more truths she could handle.

“I got distracted and it took me a bit to get set up… you cannot blame me for not wanting to go into the river with the luck I have been having today,” she tried, finding herself pouting as she freed and unbraided her hair. Had she really been that long. Risking a glance at him, she never met his eyes, once again getting distracted by her reflection. “I have spots,” Arayna declared taken aback. The areas of her hair had been covered in the braids shown the familiar blonde, but the areas that had not been where caked in mud. Making the fey appear as if she had spots running through her hair. The dried mud also made her hair stick out at weird angles. The fey never would have guessed her hair could look worse than just being covered in mud. “Shoo, so I can despot myself,” Arayna muttered while glaring at her reflection.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2018 8:23 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

His words seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the other fairy remained where she was, continuing to shed tears. Or, actually, she did seem to have heard him and his words, frustratingly, were just making her cry even harder. Was this her plan, then? He discovers what she is plotting and attempts to stop it and she just lays it on even thicker? Well that just wasn't going to fly with him, oh no it wasn't! He opened his mouth to say something but her sobs became silent and he closed his mouth with a snap. So, she had noticed he wasn't falling for her tricks. That was good. Perhaps in the future she wouldn't try her little tricks on him so often!

The silly fairy seemed to be working through calming herself down after getting herself caught up in her plan to attempt to trick him. She wiped at her eyes, smudging the remnants of the dirt that had mixed with her tears and become mud again across her face. Setting down the plates, she gathered up her own belongings and looked set to go to the river and clean herself off. If she was quick about it then they could still make some good time today. Wasn't there a fairy glade around here they could rest in, away from those noisy mortals? If there were other fairies there, they might even recognize this sneaky, simple fairy. Could someone be sneaky and simple at the same time? If anyone could, a fairy could. His chest puffed up with pride in his own people. Yes, a fairy definitely could be both simple and sneaky. Here was one right now, proving the point for him!

As she wandered away, belongings in her arms, Hefeydd found his eyes following her wings. He stood in place, her parting words washing over him. "Maybe I should eat something…" he mumbled quietly to himself, his eyes still stuck on the other fairy's wings. He took a step as if to follow her, but snapped himself out of it. That wasn't where the food was, it was right here! He shook his head and looked around. While the food he had created looked delicious, far more appealing then the other fairy's simple offerings, the fact was it was almost empty to the person who had conjured it. It would fill him, but it wouldn't replenish the magic he had expended to create it. So he found himself prodding the simple fare Raya had provided, instead. He wanted to eat some of it but was mindful of what the other fairy had consumed. She had picked at the food he had provided, almost choking as she did so. Maybe that had been a ruse to hide the fact she wasn't eating much of it… Yes, that made sense. She had also spilled the juice he had brought her… Again, hiding how much of it she had consumed. She was a crafty one. Had she eaten any of the food she had produced? He couldn't remember. If she hadn't, it could be because she had poisoned it. He wished he could remember exactly what she had eaten… But he couldn't. He did know something for sure, though. She had drunk the tea. He looked around and found it, the same cup she had been drinking from, too. He nodded to himself, wandering over and scooping it up. There was still some left. He lifted the cup to his lips and drained it, immediately feeling a flow of magic washing through him. His whole body tingled and he found himself floating into the air, wings fluttering.

"Curses…" he managed to avoid shouting this, instead keeping his voice low. She had been drinking mana infused tea the whole time! Making herself stronger while he had been wasting his own magic on silly things! He reconsidered the silly fairy, thinking about which one of them truly was the silly fairy now. Oh, she had been so clever about it, too. Pretending like it had been simple tea. He looked over at the river, but he couldn't see her. Wasn't she meant to be washing? Shouldn't she be done by now? Or was she hiding somewhere, waiting to see if he would eat her food. Or, had she run off, trying to escape from her debts to him? If she knew anything, then she would know that wouldn't work. Though he supposed he might forgive her debt if it meant being free of her finally. He bit his bottom lip, wondering what he should do now. His foot began tapping, but hovering above the ground as he was it was just tapping thin air. He supposed he should make an effort to find her, at least. If he didn't find her right away, well, who would blame him for leaving and not taking her to the fairy forest? Not Hefeydd, that was for sure!

Flying up higher, he began circling through the air, robes flapping in the little bit of wind while he hummed to himself. He smiled to himself as he saw that he couldn't see her anywhere! Perhaps the silly fairy had been washed away by the river? Or maybe she was eaten by a fish. Yes, that might have happened. He would mourn her passing, he thought, a big grin spreading across his face as he flew lower. There was a willow, a small one, that he hadn't noticed before. From beneath it he could hear sounds. His spirit drooping, he sighed and began to descend, hoping that his suspicions weren't going to be found to be right.

He landed on a branch, gently, quietly, in time to see the silly fairy making silly faces at her own reflection in the water. Or… Was it a reflection? Perhaps she had been scrying. Contacting the other sneaky fairies that she knew, bragging about her attempts to trick him. He glared down into the water, barely making out his own reflection, wondering if she had been too focused on her own image to notice him there. She stripped off her stocking, leaving her legs bare and instead of finally bathing she turned around. Why was she taking so long?! Did she not realize he was an important and busy fairy and he had other things that needed to be taken care of? Here she was, standing around in a scrap of cloth that was barely covering any part of her and yet still she wasn't cleaning herself off and getting dressed! With an overly dramatic sigh he dropped down from the branch, floating down to land behind her, balancing gracefully on the edge of the bowl. He leaned over and cleared his throat.

"Silly fair-Raya! Why are you not dressed yet?! It's been an age since you came out here to clean off and still here you stand, covered in mud! Do you need help, is that what is taking so long?" he attempted to glare at her but his eyes flickered from her mud streaked face to her wings and then back, settling on her eyes which were now close to his own.

Author: Arayna, Posted: Fri Nov 9, 2018 12:31 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna hated that she was crying but could not seem to make herself stop. For some reason hearing her companion telling her to wash up made her cry harder despite the fact she felt relieved he was not just making a break for it, which would have likely been the smart thing. Arayna did not know what she would do if her bad luck was contagious. Forcing herself to focus on breathing, she was able to calm herself enough to just be silently tearful.

"Bathe," she repeated, her nickname was going to be downgraded if she kept up this level of conversation. Arayna looked dubiously at the river not particularly feeling like going anywhere near it. The fey could imagine all manner of disasters that could befall her while attempting to bath in it. Arayna also had a sinking suspicion even if she did have an uneventful bath; she would fall back into the mud upon completing it. That would be worse than not bathing.

Maybe she could just tell Hed that is why she wanted to go into town. He had not seemed to like that idea and she really did not want to impose on him. Where did that leave her, should she just not bathe? She could try to pull off more mud magically, but that would likely be just as embarrassing given how well it had looked before. While in her thoughts Arayna wiped away some of the tears. Maybe she could summon water and bathe that way. Arayna's gaze fell upon the basket, that was it.

Setting down her plates she stood up, going over to gather her bags. "Ok, I will bathe. You should eat while I do so, I do not think you have eaten, but weren't you the one who brought up food?" Arayna stated absently while gathering her things. Pulling out a blanket she gingerly pulled the conjured dress from the air, securing it in the blanket to protect it. Moving away from their impromptu picnic area Arayna headed towards the river, knowing it would be easier to get water the closer she was to the thing.

Having found a spot that might work, Arayna let herself cry for a minute until she could finally manage to make herself stop. It was such an exhausting day, why had she thought it was a good idea to walk in the mud. Double checking that the spot was suitable she gathered her magic, thinking up her next task. Arayna had never summoned an item before, but if Hed could summon picnic baskets and dresses, or spawn them from thin air, she felt sure she could pull this off. Concentrating she imagined her bath bowl she had hidden under one of the trees in Iria, willing it to come to the new designated spot. Arayna felt her magic flair and found herself staring at her bath bowel. It had worked! The water would be warm, with no fish, currents or mud. She could very contently take a bath, if it wasn’t for it being out in the open.

Even if Hed knew she was bathing, and therefore know to turn the other way, she had run into him out here. How close were they to the fairy forest? Arayna did not particularly like the idea of meeting any more fairies covered in mud, meeting them while being naked and trying to wash away the mud seemed so much worse. Arayna reached again for her absent braid while trying to work through her new dilemma. It had not been a problem before, she had just manipulated a tree to form around herb bowel, giving her a nice cozy place to bathe. Maybe she should have tried to go to her bowel instead of bringing it out here, how was she supposed to get it back anyway. Frowning she hated the idea of losing her bath bowel.

Maybe she could hide it in a tree again, but the area had proven sparse and it would be annoying to find a tree and move the thing. Arayna frowned at the grown, willing herself to think of something. Well Hed had said after this they would rest. Maybe this presented an opportunity to see how much stronger she had gotten since her escape. Focusing on a different item she summoned it to her hand. Arayna took three steps from the bowel and for some reason felt that number seemed right and tossed it down. Flying up she again released her magic, this time willing the seed to grow. This had been the magic that freed her, she felt a fondness for it.

Arayna was happy to feel the willow seed obey, and magically grow before her eyes. She did not need it to be too big just enough to provide cover for herself and the bowel. She wrapped some of the roots around her bowel, figuring that would keep any passersby from taking it. Though she could likely just summon it back anyway, so was it worth worrying about that? All well it was already done. Having it grow at a slant she was pleased with herself, thinking she had made quite a nice private spot. Arayna loved willow trees, their leaves were fun to play in and provided cover to a wide area.

Setting out her belongings around the tree’s roots, she magically pulled water from the river into the bowel. Task complete she caught her reflection and was met with a grimace. She did not look well, or much like herself. The crying had just made her eyes puffy and muddy streaks on her face and her hair looked more of a brown than the blonde she had become familiar with. She was still so scrawny, maybe she should eat more after this. Wait, what fresh hell was this. Arayna was used to judging herself on her clothing but could not recall judging her physic. Why was she suddenly so worried if she lacked womanly features? Though she identified as being a female, she was a fairy, so was not even technically a woman!

Giving her reflection a look that showed her utter exacerbation with herself and the day, she giggled when she got one back. Yeah, that as definitely how she felt. Removing her muddy, and ruined socks, she sighed. Hopefully, she would not ruin her new garment. Realizing she might be taking too long, she became worried that Hed might have decided to wander off… or come to check if she drowned. Arayna was not sure which of those scenarios was worse. Maybe she should go tell him it took her a few minutes to figure out a plan, so she had not started bathing yet. Hopefully, she could leave the part out about crying more or having been distracted by making faces at her reflection. Hed did not really need any more evidence of her being a silly fairy.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Thu Nov 8, 2018 6:58 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

The silly fairy, Raya, stared at the dressed and a a variety of emotions crossed her face, none of which held any significance for him. She was a confusing one, that was for sure, almost like she was a tiny human and not a proud fairy. If it wasn't for the way she expertly, or at least stumbled her way around his questions and offerings he would think she wasn't a fairy at all! She did have wings, though. That was true. His eyes flickered briefly back to her wings, as if to make sure they were still there. She was definitely a fairy. Just a fairy that was a little rough around the edges.

He could feel  her reaching out with magic, lifting the dress he had created from his hands. He thought about holding on to it, at least until she had cleaned herself properly but then thought better of it. If their meeting so far was anything to go by then that particular dress was going to be ruined long before they reached the forest. This made him grin even more. While yes, it was a waste of his own energy to summon dresses for her each time she destroyed one… She was talking again! His attention shot back to her, not wanting to miss any more clues that she might let slip to reveal any dark intentions she might have.

She was crying as she spoke and Hefeydd felt another twitch in his wings, but he stopped himself from letting out a frustrated groan, the grin he had previously felt all the way from the tips of his wings to the tips of his toes was now frozen in place. What was she doing now?! He had seen fairies crying before, of course. It was a common trick to make mortals think there were young mortals lost nearby. Or, when captured by the big folk he had seen fairies pretend to cry to gain pity, make the big folk lower their guard so that the fairies could strike. He tried to remember when he had ever seen a fairy cry in front of another fairy before. He needed to work out what the purpose of the tears were, first, before he could figure out how to deal with them. What had she said as she started crying? That she had nothing to exchange for the dress… Aha! The little she-witch was trying to make him feel bad. 

A cold feeling spread through him, it was comforting in it's own way. Oh, this strange fairy had no idea who she was messing with. Trying to trick and to fool him all day. Well he wasn't going to fall for it. He was no fool… She was treating him like… Like a silly fairy! She said she would find a way to repay him for the dress, despite her current trickery, and he would be sure that she would though he had no intentions of allowing her to set the terms of that repayment. A common way of dealing with debts among the fey was to repay one in excess, so the person you had once owed would then owe you. Judging by her previous attempts that would be exactly the kind of thing this fairy would do. His foot began tapping as he tried to think of what he needed from her. His plan had been to just have her continuing falling further into his debt until there was no way out but now… It needed some thought…

She had finished speaking and he didn't want to stand around in silence for too long. He cleared his throat and the grin fell from his face to be replaced with what he hoped was a more friendly expression. Was he good at those? He thought he was. "Maybe you should get cleaned up, sil- Raya, and then we can find somewhere to rest a while, yes?"

Author: Arayna, Posted: Tue Nov 6, 2018 1:20 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna jolted and froze, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning. During her prattling, Hed had decided to test out the sound of her desired moniker. Her heart pounded in her chest. It had been a mistake to give it. Arayna should have just accepted and stuck with her epithet of silly fairy, which fit her better anyway. Being addressed as Raya by him was just too… familiar? Was that what this feeling was?

Arayna was shaken from her stupor at the sound of being addressed yet again. Here she had thought she would need to warn him she may not answer; just as she had done for Morty. It did not appear getting her attention would be a problem for him. At the mention of first impressions, she felt herself sigh, yes first impressions where important. Gods what a one she must have made on him. Smiling sadly she decided at least it would likely not be an encounter he would forget, possibly even if he wanted to. Hopefully, that meant she would not forget it either.

Her thoughts traveled down the well-worn path that was thinking of her memory; and her fear of forgetting what memories she did have at some point. So far it seemed she was able to retain things done after her escape, but a constant fear lingered that she would one day wake up with them having just become another hazy and broken memory; difficult to discern its order, origin or even validity. It was movement this time that drew her from her thoughts. Hed had moved closer to her, though thankfully not as close as before. He was proudly holding, something.

Focusing herself she tried to turn her attention to him; Hed looked rather proud of himself. Arayna felt her face flush, something about that expression looked… right on him, it was… endearing. Finding herself offering a small smile in return, she felt some of the weight of her previous despair lift. This confused her, was it because she was around another fairy? What would it be like when they went to a forest full of other fairies? Possibly an experiment to see if it is possible to die from embarrassment if current trends continued.

Turning her attention to Hed’s source of pride she was surprised, “A dress?” she stated dumbly. He had not been carrying that before, and if fairies had similar fashion choices as humans, would not be something he would be carrying on him by chance anyway. Did that mean he had summoned or made it just for her? Before the start of all this had she not resolved to pay more attention, here her companion had summoned a dress seemingly out of thin air without her noticing.
Everything until now seemed like maybe she would have just been an inconvenience to her companion’s normal routine. Arayna had assumed Hed was going to the forest anyway, so showing her would not have changed his plans. But this.. and looking after her, she could not understand why he was nice. Had he offered to show the forest just to help her, with no plans to go there himself? She found herself wondering why beings had been so willing to help her, and why she felt so uncomfortable with this. Though excited and grateful about the dress, Arayna also felt trapped. She had to accept the dress after he had gone through all of the trouble of acquiring it for her, that was the favor that would need to be returned. And she currently had nothing to exchange for it.

“Maybe I was… or am… an evil fairy,” she thought passively, it had never occurred to her that before she might have been of a nature that deserved to have been bottled, tormented, and memories shattered. All of these nice things and she felt that there should be some cost. Overwhelmed, she tried to take a deep breath but could not keep herself from crying. She again found herself wishing she could just launch herself at her companion and cry, telling him everything that was on her fragmented mind and how exhausting it was to get through even a normal day; and this day had been far from normal.

Not wanting to be rude she found herself reaching out with magic willing the garment to levitate. Not desiring to touch it and soil the garment. “I do not have anything to exchange for this” she confessed to her companion, steady stream of tears running down her cheeks. Maybe she could not nonsensically babble all of her thoughts to him from the safety of his robes, but she could at least tell him this. “Even if I dressed up and tried my best, with the way things have been going I will likely still embarrass myself… and you,” she added thinking maybe that somehow taking her to the forest would have some sort of meaning she was not aware of, that would make all this worth it.

“I have already freely offered to share my food, the tea I drink is mana tea. If you want to recover and go… I cannot imagine being worth all this trouble and do not wish to cause you further. she stated glumly, deciding that if she were able to, she would run from herself, as she might be a cursed evil fairy. Maybe that is why her life had been the way it was, and that her acquaintances to date, excluding present company, had been two necromancers and a half-ogre; that did not sound like the company of a good fairy. “I will find a way to repay you for this,” she added gesturing to the dress, realizing it might seem she was trying to get it for free. If you have one in mind, do share, I can meet you at the village some time to repay the debt . Arayna could still feel tears running down her cheeks; she felt so tired and lost, this day was shaping up to be way too much for her.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Mon Nov 5, 2018 8:28 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Hefeydd stared blankly into the other fairy's eyes, coming to the conclusion that even if she were some evil mastermind set on defeating or capturing him, she also seemed to be under the effects of a mild curse. What else could explain the constant falling, choking and general messiness? He studied her closely, remaining exactly where he was, a breath away from her as he attempted to see the root of the curse. If he lifted it from her then she would owe him far more than she would by eating his food. Then, if he could just get the pesky fairy's name, he would own her. Then he could find out whatever he wanted about her, in his own time, too. There would be no more back and forth between them, no more circling the subject and making a mess of what could have been nice clothes at one point. They sure weren't now, though, were they?

The silly fairy's cheeks reddened as if from a fever and the way she stood there, silent and still, made him begin to suspect she might be seriously ill on top of the curse, and potential simple mindedness. Was the illness just another part of the curse, or was she just extremely unlucky? Was it worth it for him to remain around her, even? What if the curse latched itself onto him because of his proximity? He certainly didn't want to be cursed. Removing them was frustrating business. He had far more fun placing them upon people, that was true. Her eyes dropped down and his arms twitched to catch her, thinking she might be about to collapse. This was becoming bothersome! He hadn't meant to spend so much time here and yet, here he was. Maybe he could distract her and leave her behind. But no. That wouldn't work, would it. He had already offered her a service, which she had accepted. If he were to leave without taking her to the forest then he would be breaking his word. A little flame of anger sparked within him as he realized he was now, for better or worse, bound to this silly fairy unless he could trick her into releasing him. Oh, she would owe him if he followed through, that was true. A debt like that, well, could it be easily paid? He didn't think it could. He would make sure she didn't think so either. But getting her there in one piece was going to be the problem!

Finally the other fairy began moving somewhat normally again. She set aside the cake that had almost killed her, if only it had it would have solved his problems there and then, and instead took up the glass of juice and sipped at it. It seemed to help her get her thoughts back on track, which was good, and she began speaking. Her words were awkward and stumbling, still, and would cause her to be the source of ridicule in the fairy courts. If she wanted to go there then she was going to need to learn to speak and dress properly or she would quickly find herself the plaything of others. The thought caught in his mind, this silly fairy before him being tormented by other fey and little folk. It held a certain appeal, that was true and yet at the same time he felt a protectiveness. If anyone was going to torment this fairy it was going to be he, Hefeydd, the First Night. Others could have their chance when he was done with her.

The next wave of misfortune that followed the other fairy didn't surprise Hefeydd at this point. As she moved away the filthy rags she was wearing began to tear. She did the sensible thing, then, and removed it. It didn't reveal much of anything, save her arms, as she was wearing a second layer beneath the first, as well as stocking that covered her legs. It did reveal her arms though, which weren't as streaked with dirt as the rest of her had been. If anything it had been a final stroke of luck, the dress tearing and allowing her to free herself from all that residual mud. There was nothing there that held his attention, though, the thought of searching for a curse forgotten. But when her wings opened, he found himself momentarily losing his train of thought.

He shook his head and the next thing he knew she was sat upon the scraps of her filthy dress, and covering herself with the rest of them. He had to fight back the urge to release an explosive sigh of exasperation. What was it with her? Did she like being covered in mud and muddy things? What kind of fairy chose to be dirty when there was nice clean water available for her to wash up in nearby?

"Raya…" he repeated the name she gave, feeling out the name. "Raya." he repeated, again, this time mimicking her exact accent and tone of voice. Having someone's name gave you power over them to an extent, but being able to use it in the exact way they did strengthened that power.  He felt nothing, though, as she rambled on. That was… To be expected, he supposed. Even the simplest of fairies knew not to give out their true names to others. He had thought, though.. There was something about this one that had made him feel she would be an easy mark. His wings trembled, a very faint twitch along their length, as he watched her intently. So, she wished for him to call her Raya, and she wanted to travel to the forest. These were things he could do. He would prepare her along the way though, and find out more about her. The last thing he wanted was to find out he was being tricked by the other fairy, Raya.

"Well first, Raya, let's do something about the state you are in. Oh, we can't have you appearing before other fairies like this, can we? They'll all be calling you silly fairy then won't they? We don't want that, oh no. Even if you are a silly fairy, first impressions are very important, yes they are." the whole time he was talking he held his hands out in front of him, his fingers twitching and pulling as if at threads only he could see. His voice rose and fell as he worked, some of what he was saying obviously meant for the other fairy while some parts were just him talking to himself as he worked. He had used up a lot of magic today, that was true. He had traveled far, done a lot of mischief on the way and had barely stopped and eaten along the way. Why, he would be surprised if he had eaten half of the offerings left for him! Nobody seemed to appreciate the amount of work it took to do his job, but-

"Ah… Ha!" he cried out in triumph. From his fingers, which he raised to eye level, threads began to form in the air. They weaved together, forming patterns and growing thicker and more complex as they began to drop down from his hands. As if many invisible spiders were working together the silken threads continued falling from his hands and weaving themselves together until, finally, he was holding a dress. He had chosen blue for the color, unconsciously matching it to her eyes, but reasoning to himself that it was because it was the color of winter and the Unseelie court. If he brought her there wearing this, it would be like claiming her. He had a feeling she wasn't Unseelie, and if that were true then having her wear this would be a double victory. He grinned as he held it up and walked over towards Raya.

Author: Arayna, Posted: Sat Nov 3, 2018 9:47 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Through her inner debate, Arayna heard her companions response. That had not been what she meant. Even in that sense, she had also been littler until recently, and hazy memories of a time even smaller than that seemed present. Refocusing herself, she sought out to find Hed to clarify. Going so far as to raise her hand and attempt to start speaking before finding him, and realizing that he was very close. Any sound died on her lips as her throat seemed to become tight and her mouth dry. His eyes where silver too, Arayna had not known she was so partial to the color.


Licking her lips all that was able to escape was ”Uhh… leaving her mouth gaping and cheeks flaming, wide blue eyes locked onto the silver. Arayna felt dizzy and little weak. Why? She had flown fairly close to peoples faces before to get their attention or talk to them. Why was this so different? Arayna could not even tell whether or not she liked the closeness, part of her seeming to want to somehow to get closer while another demanded she run into the mud… or possibly the river.


Deciding that maybe she was just way too fond of silver, she tried to focus attention away from his eyes. Looking down at his chest she tried to force herself to admire the robes, that would be something she would be interested in she insisted to her mind. This did not prove much better. Her eyes began to sting, she felt like collapsing forward and just bury herself into his robe, crying. Everything was just so confusing, too much for her, overwhelming. How crazy was she? Had she not just been laughing a second ago.


Habitually Arayna’s hand move to grasp at one of her braids, only to find them absent. Attention moving to her own hand in shock, her mind seemed to begin sluggishly working again. That was right, she had tied them up to make sure her hair stayed out of the way. Deciding that the cake was fascinating she focused on that, absently poking at it. Was he close cause she had not been paying attention? No, she had been about to respond to him. Though, maybe he had thought she was not because she had not been looking at him, too choking on cake. Oh she had been choking, had he come over to help her. That was nice of him. That might explain while she felt a little breathless and dizzy, too.


She still found her mouth too dry to speak. Making sure to keep her attention on the platter of cake she moved it over; trading the cake for the juice, she took a sip. Arayna was not even sure what the juice tasted like. Again the fairy tested her ability to speak. “Err.. thanks,” Arayna stated voice a soft rasp. The fairies eye widened at the sound of her voice, well she had just nearly suffocated. Keeping her focus fixed on the glass as if it was the most interesting thing she continued. “I swear I have eaten before and am usually better at it, she finished weakly.


The glass giving her an idea; Arayna raised it to her lips and drained it. Then fussed with her stuff, she prepared it so she could carry it. Stepping back to move away, having decided she needed to, she felt a rip more than she heard it and a weight falling off her shoulder. Great, she had walked on and ripped her dress. Not sure whether to curse or beg forgiveness she found herself wondering just what she had done to the gods to deserve this. Sighing she reached for the back of her dress hoping the knot had just come undone, knowing the truth. It had ripped she would not be able to re-tie it somehow. 'Well at least it was ruined anyway,' she reminded herself, sighing as she shrugged the thing off.

She felt lighter now, too, but oh so exposed. Sure the beige undertunic did not have sleeves and due to her unexpected growth spurt ended right at her knee, but between it and her stockings, she was mostly covered. Why did it feel so embarrassing and vulnerable? Was it because of the obvious stains from where the mud had bled through… but she had been covered in the stuff most of the morning. Deciding she would get some use out of the thing she tore her former dress and draped the pieces over her arm. Gathering the provisions, Arayna made her way to the conjured food. At least all of this had given her an excuse to move away. Focusing on her movements her wings fluttered open, allowing the woman to stay upright against all her expectations, maybe the gods had forgiven her. Sitting the provisions down next to the conjured basket, she set part of the dress down and sat on it, using the other remnant to cover her legs, to fight off some of the exposed feelings. Slowly and carefully she refilled her glass as if that is why she needed to come over, not just needing to be further away.

Still focused on the glass the fairy spoke "Umm.. Raya," voice still sounding foreign. "I mean, I can understand being Silly Fairy, really with everything that is probably a nicer thing you picked out to call me, certainly fits better than lady," she stated, smiling weakly. "I think I have even been called it before… but if I am supposed to have a form of address that I would want to be called, I.. ah.. think that would be Raya, if you want to use such a thing I mean " she babbled, for some reason feeling compelled to offer a name in a chance to be addressed as such by him. And if he was going to have been kind enough to help save her from herself and would still agree to travel with her; despite all this, she probably at least owed him some way to address her. Braving further humiliation Arayna took a bite of her fruit, forcing herself to focus on the process of eating, while her thoughts produced different ideas on how Hed would feel about this all; he'd have to be crazy to agree still to travel with her, wouldn't he.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Fri Nov 2, 2018 6:54 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Hefeydd's features froze as the silly fairy began cracking up, cackling away to herself as if mad. He could feel his wings twitching, ever so slightly, and his foot about to begin tapping with frustration. He was able to control himself, though, as she continue her laughter. Calling her a lady had been meant as a joke to himself, a snide comment to soothe himself and poke fun at her while at the same time attempting to charm her into lowering her defenses. It hadn't been meant to start her off into this… Whatever this was. She spilled more of the juice over herself and there was that feeling again, the feeling that he was dealing with someone who needed to be kept in a safe place far away from sharp and dangerous things.

She seemed to stop and sober for all of a second, as if realizing something about herself. Her thoughts dragged her off, but she continued to chuckle at his comment, calling her a lady. For someone who seemed upset about a perceived rudeness in asking a name, she was certainly being rude right now, wasn't she? The chuckling trailed off and her eyes seemed to glaze over. He stepped over towards her, lifting a hand with the intention to wave it in front of her eyes in an attempt to recapture her attention but all of a sudden she was using magic. He recognized the spell, it was something that was simple enough. She took the mud that coated her and focused into a ball which could be flung at others like a weapon. He found himself summoning a spark of magic himself in response, assuming she was finally springing her trap. Given the fact that she had managed to trick him into trusting her somewhat she now had the advantage over him, his own response would only be a weak strike with electricity, enough to elicit a gasp of pain and distract her at most. Instead of hitting him, however, the ball went flying off into the river. 

He released the hold he had over the magic, stepping back and holding his hands behind his back just in time before she returned her focus towards him. He didn't want to show any signs of weakness, not after she had just had the chance to harm him. What had she been trying to do though? Was that just her way of cleaning herself? Not very efficient, was it? While most of the mud was gone she was still very dirty. He was finally able to see more of her, though. Her clothes looked like they might have been ruined, and he couldn't tell whether her skin was a darker shade than his own or just smeared with dirt. Her hair could have been a pretty blonde, or dark. With all the dirt in it, it was still hard to tell. Well, he guessed he really couldn't tell much more about her now, could he? She was definitely a fairy, though. That was something, wasn't it? Yes.

She smiled and complimented him, in a way, telling him she was glad to have met him. If she hadn't been irritating him since the moment they met then that might have made him feel a little warm. As it was all it made him do was question what insanity was coming next. She drifted off into her thoughts once more but when her attention returned she finally took a bite of one of the cakes. His wings twitched again as he watched, this time from the sense of victory. It wasn't much, really, but she had taken a bite. As long as he didn't eat more of her food than she ate of his… He would wait a moment, though, before inspecting what she had laid out more closely. He picked up a glass of his own and took a sip of the juice that he had summoned. It just wasn't all that satisfying, though, as he had been forced to conjure it himself. It was something, though. Her question was just another nail in the coffin.

"We are all little fairies," he replied to her, his head tilting to the side and his brow furrowing in confusion, "though some of us are silly as well as little…" this last part was muttered under his breath. He thought she might have heard him because it was at that point that she began choking, again. Her face began to turn bright red, even under the streaks of dirt it was obvious. He took a step towards her, hands held out, unsure whether she was dying or angry with him. She got herself under control just as he reached out to her and he found himself standing uncomfortable close.

Author: Arayna, Posted: Fri Nov 2, 2018 9:23 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna found herself overcome with a fit of laughter at the man, no Hed’s question. Being addressed as ‘lady’ was just too much. “How where you even able to say that… that must mean… something different to fairies… that or other fairies CAN lie.. But to do so with a…. straight… face? ” she gasped out between chuckles. Arayna had never seen a lady covered in mud, slop juice on themselves and seemingly be able to choke on air, at least not in the way human’s used the word lady. The vibrations of her laughter causing her to spill yet more juice on herself and causing more mud to free itself, just furthered the feys laughter. Setting down the provisions, she grabbed her stomach, enjoying the laughter. “Can you imagine a human noble lady… covered in mud,” she gasped, finding herself positively gitty at the idea of covering a noblewoman in mud.

“Not that I would…” her laughter lessoning though did not subside as the end of her sentence died, tongue burning. Apparently, she would dump mud on a noble lady, and be rather gleeful about it. Well, that was fun to learn about yourself. “That would be mean,” she added instead addressing herself more than her companion, still finding herself chuckling at the idea. Who knew she had a mean streak in her, though it would not really hurt the woman, well maybe her pride. Arayna tried to shake herself out of her thoughts on this subject, it was not productive. It would probably better she never devised a way to do such a thing. Less she devotes herself to dumping mud on human ladies everywhere.

Failing at her attempt to refocus herself she found herself wondering if she could somehow move enough mud to give someone a good coating. She had moved earth before… could she move mud? Again trying to focus herself on her companion she was struck with an idea that would let her run an experiment that would help her further her new goal of flinging mud at fancy people, after all why limit it to ladies, and help out her current situation. Still chuckling she found herself focusing on the mud on her clothing, willing it to gather into a ball.

Gleefully she watched as the mud responded and she found herself in possession of a floating mudball. Arayna really had been half mudball! Though the idea crossed Arayna’s mind, she decided her newfound mean streak did not go so far as to launch the thing at her fancily dressed new companion, First knight Hed she reminded herself. Arayna instead launched the mudball at the river; imaging it hitting the fish who had tried to eat her, thwarting her earlier attempts to remove the mud. Her dress was still ruined and she still felt as if she had spent the morning covered in mud but she was glad to clean, or at least relatively so.

Realizing she had been ignoring her companion she tried to figure out what they had been talking about. Had he said anything else while she was busy thinking of ways to cover people in mud and throwing things at the river? Coming up blank she strung together what she could remember.

I am lucky to have met you, First Knight Hed, I do not remember laughing like that before she stated smiling brightly. Oh right, hadn’t he asked for her name? No that could not be right they had established that was rude right? Why where memories so tricky. Oh was her moniker now Silly Fairy? Pouting she hated the idea of that being her moniker though could understand why it would be. Or was that her title like his was First Knight; did that mean he was important, why was he bothering with a silly fairy like herself.

Hey if fairies had knights and ladies, a snicker broke out of Arayna at the word lady; how long would that last, did that mean there where… what where little humans called again? Arayna liked those, at least she thought she did, they where fun to play with. Would little fairies be as fun to play with? Maybe more so as Arayna could pick them up, instead of them picking her up. Though fun to run around with and talk to, being caught by the little big people was sometimes not fun… unless they had fancy dresses for her or real tea/cakes, though she supposed the pretend ones had been fun too. At least by what hazy memories she could piece together.

Remembering they where eating Arayna reclaimed her discarded cake, taking a bite. Thank you, this is really good First Knight Hed,” she stated, smiling at the sweet treat. All the while her mind ruminating on her new subject of little people and the possibility of little fairies “Are their little fairies” she found herself blurting out to her companion, still feeling gitty. What was wrong with her, wait had she said that out loud?

Finding herself choking on her next bight of cake she was glad to have at least not spilled some this time. Her face burned. Why, just why had she said that out loud. There would have been way more tactful ways to ask that, she could have asked about his family if he had a mother and father that would have answered the question, maybe he even had.. Children… that is what the little humans were called.. Or rather the fairy equivalent. He looked a little older than her and if he was important it might make sense he had a wife and kids. Why did that idea make her sad, what was wrong with her!? Arayna found herself debating if she could and should just move into and become one with the mud, she could attack fancily dressed people for a while. Perhaps returning to her original goal of meeting her own kind when she had a better working memory… or at least knew how to eat and drink properly.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Thu Nov 1, 2018 8:46 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

His grin froze in place as the other fairy accepted his offerings. It was all he could do to not cry out in victory. Silly fairy, that's what she was. All his previous suspicions seemed to be borne away along with the food and drink he had been holding. It was short lived, however, as his strange companion seemed to begin inspecting the objects in her hands as if she had never seen simple plates and glasses before. Or as if she didn't trust him and was trying to find something wrong with the food. He wished he had thought of that beforehand, but she hadn't seemed to be a direct threat at the time. Now, though, he was regretting his decision. Was it not better to be safe than sorry? On the other hand, since she had offered him food, and he had offered her food in return they were now bound by certain laws of hospitality. He couldn't do anything to outright harm her, not while they were sharing a meal. He supposed he was getting a little ahead of himself, though. There was still the chance that she was just a dullard who had been sent out into the wild, or simply wandered off. Even now there might be some worried fairies out there looking for her! Her talk of pet shops, though, made him think that that was unlikely. Did fairies become stunted in their minds if they spent prolonged time in captivity? He would need to ask others at some point, find out for sure.

Then her face began to fall off. Or more accurately, the mud that she had been bathing in began to flake away. What was revealed was a rather pink patch of skin. Maybe there was something in the mud that was irritating her skin, making her itchy. That must be positively terrible, considering she was covered in the stuff. He briefly wondered why, instead of just cleaning her hands earlier, why she hadn't just cleaned her clothes and body in that nearby stream. Because she was a silly fairy, right. Or pretending to be. The question seemed to answer itself as she tried to take a drink from the glass but instead began to choke on it, spilling it all over herself as she did. He thought he was prone to getting messy but this was just ridiculous. Did she have no pride in her appearance?

The silly fairy seemed to drift off into her thoughts for a moment, before she began to squirm as if uncomfortable. Finally, she began to answer his question in such a way that caused his eyes to narrow. Now why, if she really was just a simple fairy, was she trying so hard to swerve around his question? So she must be devious, though not particularly clever at the same time. Her answer was stumbling, faltering. It made it obvious that she was trying not to answer him, while at the same time giving an honest answer that made him continue with the idea that she might have taken a serious blow to the head once or twice before. Especially when she began to change the subject, which in itself would have been an acceptable diversion, only to circle right back around to the original topic of her name! This one. She was either a mastermind masquerading as a fool or simply a fool. It had troubled him that she was talking about leaving to go to the village before that, but there was little he could do to keep her here. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to keep her here!

Her question was another troubling thing. He didn't want to appear to be spending time thinking about it so he answered immediately. "Rude? How can it be rude to ask how to address one another? Why, am I meant to go around addressing you as 'Silly Fairy'?" he chuckled, as if to show he was joking about this while in his head sticking her with the name. "You asked me, and so I shall tell you! I am the First Night, and everyone calls me Hed." He sketched a deep bow to her as he said this, partly to hide the evil grin on his lips and allow himself a moment to compose his features. "A… Lady, such as yourself, must surely have a name."

Author: Arayna, Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 6:42 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna smiled shyly as she watched the man; when his wings twitched, which they seemed to do of their own accord; they shined a beautiful silver in the light. ‘He is not eating,’ Arayna noticed at the man’s insistence she eat, had he not been the one to ask for food? The fairy’s heart sank when her fellow fairy seemed to be walking away. Had he conjured food for her because she looked so pitiful? She had gained some weight since escaping but still seemed rather gaunt. But, could one even tell that with all the mud on her. This line of questioning had not shed any light on what was going on, and it seemed now it seemed she would be on her own again.

The woman watched the man retreat from her rock back towards his picnic, maybe he was going to eat his food. Arayna’s smile was temporality chased by shock at the man’s statement he could help her find the forest. It quickly returned, brighter than before, as elation filled the fairy. Arayna had never dreamed of meeting someone who would guide her there. Perhaps she could ask him some questions about fairy society before getting there.

She happily accepted the offered food and drink, again admiring the craftsmanship. It was much better than her clumsy models. Arayna praised the details, realizing this was one of the first objects she had seen that had been made by her own kind. ‘I wonder if he made it with the spell or conjured it.’ the woman wondered, becoming positively restless from the excitement of being able to get objects made by and for fairies. A skilled artisan she was not. Arayna tore her focus from the glass and tried to focus on her new companion. ‘His hair is silvery, too, focus’ the woman thought to herself, still grinning but cheeks burning.

‘He does not seem to like the idea of going to the village’ her mind offered more helpful than her last errant thought. Well if he did not want to go there, did she really need to, would it not be better just to go to the forest? The offer of accompanying her to the village made the fairy feel as if her face was going to crap. Her smile broke when she felt as if something on her face had cracked and fallen. Startled she looked down, both relieved and dismayed upon identifying it was some dried mud. Embarrassed the fairy went to take a drink, only to spill it as she suddenly found herself coughing, feeling as if she was choking with the man’s next question.

Arayna’s eyes widened and her expression betraying her utter bewilderment. She did not know much about her kind, but she was pretty sure asking a fairy their name was rude. That had not been in the books, but the strange, fragmented, hazy memories of a woman warning her of the power of names and then proclaiming her name as Arayna. The fairy was sure there was a second name and something about a promise, too, but had not been able to puzzle out the whole memory. Unless her last name was promise. No that did not sound right.

Arayna knew her memories where unreliable, but was it really this bad? Had that memory just been something her brain had made up. It was true the fairy had told her name to Morty,, and nothing had happened. Was it ok to give out your first name? Is that why her memory seemed to be protecting her last name, had she promised not to give it out? Arayna squirmed uncomfortably, as an itch developed at the base of her wings. This happened a lot when she thought about having made a promise she could not remember and therefore not keep. No, the itching worsened when she thought of giving the man her name.

Raking her brain, the female fey tried to figure out what to do. ‘He asked IF you had a name’ her inner thoughts chimed in, seemingly having decided to be helpful. It was true, he had asked if she had a name, not to give her name. Perhaps he had realized she had been in the pet shop and thought that if she had not known her own kind might not have one. That was innocent enough, and a valid concern, the biggest verifier to the woman that her name was Arayna, was the fact she had been able to say so out loud.

Still, why did it seem like such a large part of her wished she could answer no to the question. Knowing that would not work as an answer, she tried to craft a response. “I think I remember my… uh.. rather part of my name,” she stated, having to amend her statement as her throat burned when trying to say name. “As much as I would love to head straight to all the other fairies, I think I would rather not meet them covered in mud. So wish to stop there to clean up,’ she stated, pointing towards the village. ‘Besides the mud has made me too heavy to fly, especially with how tired I am,’ she added in her thoughts, not wanting to say this out loud.

“If you do not want to go to the village, I could meet you back here at some time to travel to the forest together. Why don’t you eat too and we can make plans” she added, debating if she would be able just to drop the whole name thing. But if fairies did not give names, how did they address each other. Maybe this was an opportunity to find out more about her people, she should know how she was expected to introduce herself if she was going to meet ‘all kinds’ of other fairy folks.

“I am under the impression it is rude to ask fairies their names" she stated having decided to leave out the part about it being dangerous to give names because of some sort of power, she did not want to come across as accusing him of anything. Could she say untrue things if she thought it was true, how did these pains and itches work if she had a delusional belief? “Is this true? If so what do fairies call each other,” she asked. Realizing this could be answered with it depends and would still leave her scrambled if the question did become what is your name, she took a deep breath before continuing “For example how should I address you?” Arayna finished feeling proud of herself, she felt that had been a good reply. In case it was rude to ask for a name, she had not asked for his name, just how to address him. Maybe that is what fairies did. She could follow his lead. Shaking herself out of her own thoughts, she sighed at her further ruined dress.

Returning the cup to her lips watching the man as she waited for the man’s reply. Hoping he would start eating; something about him not eating, but watching her made her uncomfortable. Maybe she did not like being watched while she was eating, doubly so if covered in mud. That seemed reasonable, it is not like eating was a graceful activity.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 6:07 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, eat the food." Hefeydd nodded as he spoke, wings twitching a little with a mixture of excitement and agitation. His first thoughts, that she had been a very simple fairy, were beginning to be replaced as she began to pick at her own food and ignore his own, far better, conjured food. Was this all a part of a trick she played? Lure people into a false sense of security so that she could trap them? That would make her a very clever fairy and that would mean that Hefeydd had to watch out for that. 

She mentioned seeing fairies in pet shops and Hefeydd's blood ran cold. He narrowed his eyes, silently cursing the mortals who would dare treat his people like animals. Soon, when he had enthralled this fairy, beating her at her own game, he would make her take him back to these pet shops so that he could mete out punishment. She claimed to be a fairy from the city, and wanted to return back to the home of the fey. How did she end up in the city though, he wondered. His wings gave another twitch. He couldn't just outright ask her for the information, though. Then she would have something she knew he wanted. But she was also talking about that mortal village he had just left. He thought about the nuisances that had greeted him there and suppressed a shudder. That was a place he certainly didn't want to go back to, at least not right now. But…

"If you wanted to go there, I could certainly take you and introduce you to all kinds of other fairies, oh yes." His eyes glittered as he grinned at her, wandering away from her rock and muddy food to pick up a plate of sweet cakes and a glass of juice, which he then brought back to her. "And before that, if you really must, I could take you to that village too. You really should eat first, though. And do you have a name?" 

Author: Arayna, Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2018 3:29 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna shifted uncomfortably under the other fairy’s gaze. She found herself more confused than usual when he conjured a picnic Arayna shifted uncomfortably under the other fairy’s gaze. She found herself more confused than usual when he conjured a picnic basket filled with food. ‘If he planned to do that why did he ask if I had food?’ she thought confused. Had he just wanted company to eat with? Arayna had read that fairy’s where merry folk and participated in something called trooping, had he stopped because she was another fairy. The female fey never had quite figure out what trooping was, seemed like some party or precession.

Maybe he was just dubious of food from a mud monster; he had made a face at her food. Did she have weird eating habits for a fairy? Maybe he did not like sweats though she thought she saw cakes among the conjured food. “If we put the two together I think we have a right little feast,” Arayna declared, excited at the prospect of trying “normal” foods of her people. “I will share my food for some of yours, even if not it would be nice to have company” she stated, unsure of what the situation was. Grabbing a piece of the dried meat she dipped it liberally in the honey; she liked the sweetened meat though did not much care for other ways it was prepared. It was what humans seemed to travel with so Arayna had decided to use it that way, too. Arayna wracked her brain desperately, how was she supposed to act in the company of another fairy.

‘Well not being covered in mud would have been a good start’ her inner thoughts snarked at her. Sighing, she cursed her inner thoughts, ‘shoo if you cannot be helpful’ she scolded herself. After chewing a bite and washing it down with tea, she decided it was probably just better to admit defeat. “You are the first fairy I have met out here, well I mean, out of a pet shop and like I said before I am no longer sure everyone or anyone I met was another fairy,” she stated uncomfortably with the situation, his grin seemed off, and for some reason felt as if she had done something wrong.
“I am not sure about anything, so if I greeted or said something wrong I humbly ask for forgiveness.” She started shifting uncomfortably, cheeks burning. After all, the first thing she had said to him was that he appeared to be male and she had not known such a thing to exist; she supposed that was rude. “I am out here because I came from the city because I heard that there was a forest filled with other fairies, I thought it would be nice to meet them, so I have been trying to figure out how I could accomplish that,” she added feeling the need to explain herself to the man.
“As you can see it has not been going well today,” she added dryly, as she reached for more of her food, hoping she had amended whatever she had done and could figure out what was going on. She had read that fairies could be unpredictable, asking for food then summoning food fit that. Had his summoned food been a way to show off and belittle her? Was she supposed to summon something in reply? Had she entered some game or contest? She could summon food but found it not worth the effort, if the plan was to restore strength. Arayna realized she had never summoned an item with it before; maybe it was to show off. Was she supposed to do something? Deciding that meeting him, unless he chose to set her on fire or harm her in some way, had made up for the prior lousiness of the day Arayna decided against responding in any way besides eating her food until clarification was given. She did not want to offend him further.

“Do you live in the village, I was thinking of staying there instead of going all the way back to the city” she added, trying to show why she might be interested in such a thing. She found herself unsure as to what she had done or was to do. Maybe a question would show her new acquaintance she really would like to have someone to converse with, especially a being of her kind.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:49 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Hefeydd's wings vibrated with barely contained energy as he waited, as patiently as he possibly could, for some kind of reaction from the mud creature. He hadn't meant to startle it, he had thought his tone of voice and the volume at which he had spoken had been perfect! Apparently not, though, as the creature had been startled into taking a mud bath. Or maybe it was a spirit and it was just trying to return to the mud. He certainly hoped that that wasn't the case, he had just met the creature and was really hoping it would know where to get some food. He didn't want to scare it away, though, and decided to treat it like a scared animal. No sudden moves! He could do this. He began to lift his hands, in an attempt to hold them out, but the creature let out a little gasp of surprise. He froze in place, only his wings twitching, those traitorous things. Whatever this thing was, it was extremely skittish. As it lay in the mud, seeming to be deciding on how to next muddy itself further, his eyes wandered away from it and to the river, following it back as he wondered if there would be other travelers nearby. Ones who weren't so scared of nice little fairy folk.

Then it started speaking normally and he realized that it sounded female, or wanted to him to think it sounded female at least. But then why would it want him to think it was female? He glanced around, wary of any traps that might be about to be sprung upon him. He didn't want to end up in a bottle, or a cage, or a bag… He didn't want to end up in anything, really. Then he would have to get out and… It would be a hassle, really. Why was this muddy creature trying to hurt him? He hadn't done anything to her, it, whatever! He turned from his investigation of the surrounding area in time to see her back, as she was turned to the river and had her back to him. Upon her back were disheveled and mud covered wings, but unmistakably they were wings. Well, mud spirits didn't have wings like that now, did they? He was forced to take a step back to study the creature better. It would have been better to move closer, to see it better, but that would have meant going into the mud and he didn't want to end up like whatever this thing was, did he? He squinted his eyes and then they widened as he realized it was a fairy under all that mud! What was a fairy doing rolling around in the mud like that, anyway? Was she a little… Simple? He had heard of fairies who weren't all there in the head. Maybe they were sent out to live in the mud so they wouldn't be in the- She mentioned food and his thoughts struck a wall.

She had been talking before that, of course, but he wasn't about to admit that he hadn't been paying attention. Instead he wondered exactly what this muddy fairy was up to. Was she trying to trick him? Oh, he wasn't going to fall for it, not like this. She had begun fishing around in her belongings, pulling things out and cleaning her hands and setting things up. It all looked delicious. It might even be delicious. But Hefeydd hadn't become the First Night by being tricked into owing other fairies debts, oh no, not him. So, they question now became: Was she trying to trick him into eating food because there was a spell on it, or was she trying to trick him into owing her? Either way was bad. His foot began to tap as his mind worked furiously to sort through this dilemma. He was hungry, and here was food. She was offering to share it, which was where the problem lay. It wasn't a payment or an offering that he was owed. Tap tap tap went his foot as the other fairy set out the meal, and then it struck him. An evil little grin spread across his face as he glanced over at the simple fair she was preparing.

Using magic he began to summon his own additions to the meal. With a little focus, and a burst of magic that left him feeling a little light headed, he swept his arm and next to the rock the other fairy has set out appeared a fairy sized picnic blanket, covered in various items of food. Beautifully carved wooden bowls held steaming soups and tiny chunks of fresh vegetables, plates covered in fairy sized cakes, perfectly sized glass goblets held different juices and teas. He had outdone himself! If she thought she could trick him into owing her for her meal, well she was in for a surprise! He looked over at her, attempting to make his smile less obviously evil. "Oh, I couldn't ask for you to provide everything. Here is a little something from me to you." He was quite proud of himself, not just because of the meal he had created but also because he hidden his intent behind it's creation! He was feeling a little faint, though. Maybe something simpler would have been better. His wings drooped a little and he shuffled over to the rock to look more closely at the meal the strange mud fairy had set out. It all looked nice, except from the meat. He stuck his tongue out at that, but his stomach gave a loud gurgle as he looked at the bread and honey. He had to watch the other fairy, though. Wait for her to start eating first.

Author: Arayna, Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:08 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Arayna’s thoughts were in turmoil as she debated the meaning of the village’s existence. It was good, as it meant she had gone further than she thought and could start out further down the river. It was bad because she somehow had flown past a whole village without noticing. Chastising herself and vowing to pay more attention, she heard a greeting from behind her. The timing seemed too coincidental like some power had decided to punctuate the point that thinking about needing to pay attention, was not actually paying attention.

Losing her footing she fell back onto the bank and got a fresh coating of mud. As she fell she cursed herself for not having thought of walking slightly away from the bank and the mud. A foot or so would not have caused her to lose the river. The fairy decided her best bet was just to keep falling back, positioning her wings out she let the momentum of the fall to continue carrying her down until she ended up lying in the mud. Arayna hoped this way she could see whatever was behind her, and if it was a bird looking for brunch possibly lose sight of her.

"Oh" Arayna was dumbstruck by the being behind her. It was a figure in her own height range, that was not something she had expected. Scrutinizing the figure, she admired his robes, she hoped to one-day own clothing like that. Instead of her poorly self-made and muddy attire. Why did she always seem to be a mess or become a mess when meeting people. Did the powers that be have some sort of rule that she could not look at all dignified.

Wait, was that another fairy and him!? Previously Arayna had not been sure that there was such a thing as male fairies. Arayna could not remember meeting one, but that could be said about a lot of things before her escape. Why had her memory been so hazy when she was bottled, it seemed better now… or would one be able to know if they were forgetting stuff. Had she known before her escape? Shuddering she realized back then she had not cared.

Here thoughts wandered out of her control. If there where male fairies did those mean little fairies were made in a similar way too little humans? Would she have had a mother and a father? Arayna had read many different stories and was not sure what to believe. She had seen everything from spawning from magic, as elementals or from a baby’s first laugh, to going through a breeding process like many other beings. Shaking her head, she tried to shut down that train of thought, unsure of where it led. It dawned on her that he was likely studying her while she laid defeated in the mud, just as she was studying him.

"You’re a guy… I mean. Uh… I did not know there where fairy men. Are you a male fairy? I have only met a few fairy women before, or they might have been sprites or pixies or sylphs, I have not been able to figure all of that out," she babbled finding her cheeks burning. Surely it was just because she had met another fairy and had nothing to do with his gender, or if it was just surprising. Arayna stood up and briefly faced the river to see the damage.

'I look like I am trying to become a mudball, and well on my way to accomplishing that goal' she thought dismayed, here wings were even covered. She turned to face the man while trying to find an excuse for her state of dress. "Erm sorry, I have been falling down a lot," she stated realizing that unless she found a roundabout way to say the truth she would not be able to say an excuse anyway, her throat always got tight and her tongue burned when she tried to lie.

“I… um.. have food I could share…and some sweetened tea with milk… there should be enough. Just give me a minute to try to figure out how to deal with this mud. I don't think you would like mud-covered food, at least I don't, it is not very sweet." She babbled helplessly, wondering why she felt she had to keep talking. "Oh, I hope you like sweet things, I um have a major sweet tooth, I seem to be trying to live off of sweets." Why could she not stop talking, she should wait to see if he wanted to answer.

Not wanting to brave the river the fairy uncorked her flask and dumped some of its contents onto her hands, at least clean them off. It would have to do. Removing her belt so she could access the bags attached, she looked at her muddied belongings, she really needed to stay away from the river bank she thought annoyedly. At least the contents should be fine, if not a little crushed.

Moving away from the bank and setting her belongings on the ground she dug through the bags and pulled out her rations, setting them on a rock that would be a makeshift table. She had bread she made, dried strips of meat she had nicked, some various fruits (or rather parts of fruit) she had collected and honey to slather everything in. Silently she thanked Morticia and her friends, wherever they were, as she dug out some wood pieces she had vaguely gotten into the shape of cups and plates from the second bag. Arayna had made them, imagining having a meal with that group. Maybe that was why she was carrying some extra food too, just in case. She dug a second canteen out of the bag as well. "Help yourself" she stated gesturing towards the meal. Deciding to just accept the muddy mess that was her current look.

Author: Hefeydd, Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 8:49 PM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

Hefeydd cackled to himself, being careful to keep the sound low so as not to alert his prey. He had been all over the little mortal village, being sure to check at each of the buildings to make sure they were paying the correct tribute to the fairies who lived nearby. He, of course, was obliged to partake in a little of the bread, honey and milk that had been left out for the little folk. To make sure that it was suitable, of course. His belly was full and he had been more than satisfied. That was, until he had come across this building. The hateful mortal who lived here had left nothing out. Nothing! That could not be tolerated! The fairy folk in this area upheld their end of the bargain, Hefeydd wasn't sure what the particulars were of this particular bargain but he was sure the mortals got their fair end of it. Was it to much to ask for a little tribute to be left out now and then to repay the kindness of the fey? Of course not! An example would, of course, have to be made, and Hefeydd was in just such a position to take care of that. He had thought long and hard as to how he was going to take care of this pesky problem, spending at least a handful of seconds pondering before coming up with the solution.

He landed in the shadow of the building, a cottage that stank of the mortals who lived within, and used his magic to pull the shadows and wrap them around himself. Thus hidden from mortal sight, they rarely paid enough attention to their surroundings to see things right in front of their ugly faces let alone clever little fairies hiding in the shadows, he walked silently over to the front door. The mortal woman, neither young nor particularly old if Hefeydd was any judge of these things (which he wasn't), had a belly that wobbled as she walked. He pat his own belly, which until a moment ago had felt like it was fit to bursting but was at this moment flat, and shook his head. Mortals didn't know how to control their urges. Greedy things, they were. Greedy things, which would make his plan easy to finish quickly, and then he would be on his way. 

It was a simple enough thing, gathering the magic to summon up food. The problem was deciding exactly what he was going to bring into being. He thought about a nice bowl of milk, laced with honey. He sure found it delicious, but he couldn't decide whether or not a human would be tempted to just pick it up and drink it. The he started thinking about fresh fruit, vegetables maybe. Fresh bread? Maybe if it was something warm, then. The day was a little chilly, it was a sign of the changing of the seasons. He knew for a fact that humans felt differently about the colder weather. The mortal woman would be likely, or so he was convincing himself, to go for a hot treat. He had a sudden craving for apples, and then the idea struck him. A pie! He would create a nice little apple pie and that would be the delivery method! His stomach gurgled. He might have to create two, one for himself. He licked his lips at the thought, and almost went off track right then and there. If it hadn't been for the mortal, humming as she brought out a basket of wet clothing and almost stepping on Hefeydd, then he might have left then to find something delicious to eat that he didn't have to create himself. But the sheer clumsiness of the mortal made renewed his anger. He waited for her to pass and then gathered his magic, focusing it on the step leading to the door and creating out of thin air a warm apple pie. It set his stomach to growling again.

Deciding on exactly what to do to the pie was almost as difficult as deciding on what to create in the first place. At first he had been thinking about something simple, a curse perhaps that would cause her to stumble and fall for the rest of the day. Remembering the way the mortal had almost trodden on him, though, made him second guess that. If she was already close to stepping on innocent little folk then who knew what would happen if he did that to her? No, the thought of that was too much to bear. He might end up responsibility for hurting another fairy. He had thought then of poisoning her. It was a good idea, though maybe a little harsh. If she died then who would be here to feed fairies after the lesson was learned? Maybe there were other, smaller mortals that she cared for who might, he supposed, learn from the lesson. But then it might cause far too much fear among the rest of the village. The mortals might decide that their deal wasn't worth it any more. They might take action to hurt fairies. Another bad idea. Then what about paralyzing her? He could do all kinds of fun things to her, torment her, teach her the lesson quite nicely. He liked the direction that thought was going. If she couldn't move, that was good. No risk of her hurting other fairies. She would be alive to spread the warning to other mortals. But would they listen? Maybe. But what if she was asleep? Kept so magically for some time. It would be a good show of what would happen to those who didn't hold their ends of bargains. No deaths. He thought about this, but was already gathering the magic to layer over the pie.

A huffing sound came from within the building and Hefeydd looked up to see a dog standing there. It was eyeing him warily, obviously caught between wanting to protect the mortal and confusion about the tiny figure standing next to the food that hadn't been there a moment before. Hefeydd, for his part, stood silently in his cloak of shadows. Dogs had very sharp senses, he knew that. They wouldn't be fooled by the shadows. He took glanced at the mortal, stood far enough away and still humming to herself. That was good, she wouldn't be able to hear. Not unless the dog made a ruckus. "Shoo, dog. Go away! Shoo!" Hefeydd waved his hands, trying to get the dog to go back into the house. It advanced on him, instead, a hungry look in it's eyes. Hefeydd really didn't want to do anything to harm it, but it looked like the silly dog was going to try and force something. Hefeydd tapped his foot impatiently, mind whizzing around different thoughts as he tried to decide on the best way to take care of the dog, not alert the mortal and still have the pie plan in place. He shot another glance at the mortal and with a huff he dropped his shadows so the dog would be able to see him for what he truly was. The dog froze in place, and Hefeydd nodded. Good. "Now go, dog. Find somewhere else to be." The dog, thankfully, decided this was the time to avoid risking the anger of a fairy and took off with it's tail hung low between it's legs.

Hefeydd was grinning, gathering the shadows once more when he heard the sound of flapping wings. He groaned, perhaps a little loudly but the mortal woman didn't seem to notice, and turned in place to look up at the roof of the building. Up there, upon the thatched roof, perched three large crows. The biggest, standing at point, looked down upon Hefeydd with one good eye. Crows were frustrating creatures. They didn't know their place. Hefeydd glared up at them. "Shoo, crow. You have no business here." The crow's head tilted one way, then the next, watching Hefeydd carefully. "Funny place to leave a pie. Perhaps you would share?" Hefeydd wanted to shout at the crows, shoo them away, but he didn't want to alert the mortal. Which left doing something quiet. He would give them a chance, first, to leave by themselves. "I said you have no business, silly crows. Now leave." The crow on the left hopped forwards, and Hefeydd grit his teeth. He gathered a little spark in his hand and quick as a blink he shot it at the hopping crow. It exploded upwards with a screech and took off, the other two crows hopping backwards. The mortal looked over, then, and Hefeydd had to jump to the side, diving back into the shadows. Where there stood a large tabby cat. Hefeydd took one look at the cat hung his head. This was becoming far too much of a hassle. Maybe tomorrow he would come back. The cat opened it's mouth to say something, but Hefeydd knew better than to get caught up in a conversation with a cat. He lifted his hands and shook his head. "No." was all he said before gathering the shadows around himself once more and taking to the air. He could hear the sound of confusion from the cat, the agitation of the crows and faintly the sound of the mortal woman saying, "Oh, who left this here?"

The mortal village had been near a river, which Hefeydd knew for a fact led to a much larger area filled to bursting with more mortals. He hated those places. They smelled awful and nobody there had any respect for the little folk, but that was the direction he had begun flying in and he didn't want to turn around right now. If the cat, or those pesky crows, were following him then he would lose face if he turned around right now. Which meant he was going to have to follow the river, at least for a little, before he could circle back around. He would take care of all those other troublesome things tomorrow, though. They weren't chasing him away, he was just far too irritated to be dealing with them tonight. He nodded to himself and continued on his way.

It wasn't long after that that something down by the river caught his eye. He circled it once, twice and three times for luck before finally coming down to land in behind it. He straightened his robes, today they were a rich purple and free of mud, though how he had managed to go a full day without dirtying them was beyond him, and he cocked his head to the side to inspect the creature before him. It looked like some kind of cross between a fairy and a mud spirit. He cocked his head to the other side, to see if that would help him identify it, but no luck. He didn't even think of how much the action made him look like the crow from before. Well, standing here wasn't going to accomplish anything, was it? He cleared his throat and took a step forwards. "Hello there! It's a pleasure to meet you, whatever you may be! Do you perhaps know where there is food around here?" he had meant to introduce himself but had been sidetracked by a growling in his stomach.

Author: Arayna, Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 7:39 AM, Post Subject: In need of travel plans [P]

The long days of Ignius seemed to be fading into the longer, cooler nights of Venti. The crispness in the air told the world to change its attire, the leaves on the sparse trees obeying as their green leaves began to fade into different hues. This time in Venti would be a good time to travel, the nights and mornings could be cold but when the sun was in the sky was usually made for a pleasant day. Arayna had found the temperature to be good for her exercises. The fairy had started of habit of flying down the river as far as she could, before resting and flying back ‘home.’ By all her calculations, the river would lead her to the Freeorin Forest when she was able to follow its length better. The fairy enjoyed her trips out of Iria’s walls and being the countryside, she often thought of trying to “camp” out here in preparation for her coming journey.

Exhausted the fairy landed on the bank of the river, finding a suitable rock to perch on. Arayna looked down the river, trying to gauge the distance she had gone. ‘I think I can still make out the walls’ she thought glumly. This was the farthest she had made it in her flying endurance exercises but would be nowhere what she needed to make it to the forest. Feeling defeated she collapsed over the rock, forgetting her “new” height, causing herself to ungracefully descend to the ground. Unhappy and cursing things, in general, she laid in the mud allowing herself to give into a moment of despair.

Arayna laid there until she became uncomfortable as the moist earth leeched away her heat. Rising up Arayna attempted to wipe off the mud. “If I cannot leave soon it will get too cold to travel,” she told herself, disliking the idea of traveling in the cold. Arayna had not worked out how she could cover her back, let alone wear a cloak, and still be able to fly. As slow as she felt she was at flying she knew traveling by foot would be even worse.

“If it is not already,” she added, finding her appendages going numb. Silently she cursed herself for laying in the mud. Not quite feeling ready to fly she turned back towards the distant town and began walking with her clumsy gait, trying very hard not to fall into the mud again. Rubbing her arms, she tried to will heat to return to them, hoping the movement would help her regain her lost heat. If nothing else, she would walk until the morning passed and the sun made a better appearance in the sky and warmed things up more.
The fairy’s thoughts turned to trying to figure out how she could manage this trip, as she often did on her return trip. Her thoughts turned to using magic. Sighing Arayna shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of travel spells. Given where and what had happened last time, those were “emergency only.” At least at her current level of magical competence. Arayna tried to remind herself of this fact and ignore the swirling doubt that she would survive her quest to find another fairy.